dig

In mining, to dig is to extract ore from a known deposit after the ore body has been located and proved economically viable. This distinguishes it from prospecting or exploratory work, where you are still searching for ore. Once a deposit is declared ore (not just mineralized rock), and a mining operation is established, digging begins: ore is broken from the rock face, loaded into trucks or hoppers, and sent to surface or processing.

The term carries historical weight. In the days of hand mining, digging meant exactly that: pick and shovel work to free ore from host rock. Modern digging uses blast holes, loaders, and conveyor systems, but the word persists because it separates productive extraction from non-productive work. An explorer drilling exploration holes is not digging. A mine operator extracting from proven reserves is digging.

In surface mining, digging can refer specifically to ore removal (the productive part), as opposed to stripping, which means removing overburden (waste rock above or around the ore). A pit mine does both: stripping to expose the ore body, then digging to extract it. The ratio of waste to ore is called strip ratio; where this becomes too high, the mine becomes uneconomic. Both are excavation, but only digging produces sellable product.

Underground, digging means breaking and removing ore from the stope (the active extraction zone). The ore is loaded into ore passes or directly onto transport, then hauled to the surface. In contrast, sinking a shaft or driving a development drive is also excavation but not digging, because those operations create access, not revenue.

The word remains standard across jurisdictions and equipment types. Whether the ore is copper, iron, gold, or coal, whether the method is open pit, underground, or placer, operators speak of digging ore. Regulators and accountants track ore tons dug per shift, per month, per pit. This metric ties directly to grade (ore quality) and tonnage (ore quantity) to calculate production value and mine life.